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Dirty Shame, A
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MPAA RATING: NC-17 for pervasive sexual content
Starring Tracey Ullman, Johnny Knoxville, Chris Isaak, Selma Blair, Suzanne Shepherd, Mink Stole, Susan Allenback, and Paul DeBoy
Rude, joyous and full of sexual anarchy, this John Waters comedy has a generous heart and a dirty mind. (Fine Line Features)
| GENRE(S): | Comedy |
| WRITTEN BY: | John Waters |
| DIRECTED BY: | John Waters |
| RELEASE DATE: |
DVD: June 14, 2005 Theatrical: September 24, 2004 |
| RUNNING TIME: | 89 minutes, Color |
| ORIGIN: | USA |
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
The average user rating for this movie is 5.8 (out of 10) based on 15 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Hank D. gave it a9:
The kind of film that so few ever dare to make, yet is SO needed to be seen by today's deeply mortal public. But the public won't see it and you'd probably think it was juvenile and dumb anyway (which it is). But it is an amazingly terrific and so very good piece of heartfelt film-making.
Alison R. gave it a10:
Another hilarious film from John Waters. The memory of Tracey Ullman's frantic cavortings still makes me crack up laughing. Don't expect anything deep or highbrow, though -- and this is not a film for people of a delicate nature!
Jeff L. gave it a 6:
The very fact that John Waters - the Sultan of Sleaze, the Prince of Bad Taste, the man who made a star of 300-pound transvestite Divine by making her devour dog poop - is working in NC-17 territory should alone be reason for long-time fans to rejoice, especially those who have fretted over how comparatively tame his work has been since the mainstream hit Hairspray in 1988. Somehow, though, the chutzpah displayed in breakthrough films like Pink Flamingoes, Multiple Maniacs, and Female Trouble (not to mention terrific later films like Serial Mom and the underrated Cecil B. Demented) has given way to an ultimately tiresome parade of grotesque characters and silly sight gags. The premise is funny enough - how a town becomes radically divided into two warring factions, one proudly asexual, the other delighted in every manner of perversion and laciviousness. Tracey Ullman (last seen to really great effect in Woody Allen's Small-Time Crooks) is fearless, sexy, and funny as a repressed wife whose head injury turns her into a brazen sex maniac. I also really liked Elvis-coiffed Chris Isaak as her confused husband and Selma Blair (with HUGE Russ Meyer-sized jugs) as their stripper daughter. And the soundtrack full of rockabilly and novelty songs is a lot of fun. But in the end, the film becomes frantic and desperate. Much as I wanted to love this, there really isn't much "there" there.
Walter E. gave it a 0:
What happened to John Waters? This is absolutely his worst film to date and the worst film I've seen this year. It's a complete train wreck. It's two hours of people running around yelling. With an exception or two, it's not even funny, which is extremely rare for a Waters' script. Waters strands the actors by giving them almost nothing to do except yell his "hilarious" lines into the camera, dialogue none of them seem to believe in. Not one actor delivers a line with the crazed gusto and lunatic conviction of Divine. Or even Kathleen Turner. They just seem embarrassed and I felt embarassed for them. Only Tracey Ullman comes off pretty much unscathed here. I laughed at how adept she was at changing in and out of clothes stolen from neighbors' washlines; it's the only sexy thing in the movie. That's really it as far as performances go. Why is the movie so visually ugly and indifferently filmed? And what is Waters doing with digital effects? They make an already ludicrous movie even worse (what's with the squirrels?). It pains me to write all this down, as I've been a Waters fan for almost 20 years, but this movie really feels like the end of the line to me. Two warning signs: First, the opening titles are crowded with executive producers' credits, so you have to wonder how much groupthink went into putting this disaster together and whether Waters' was made to work against his better instincts. Second, the NC-17 rating is like one of Waters' beloved William Castle gimmicks like "Emergo" or his own "Odorama": it's a seal of approval for die-hard Waters fans, who will be disappointed when they sit down to find there's almost no movie on the screen. Finally, I'm all for bad taste, but I thought Waters used Suzanne Shepherd and his old friend Mink Stole cruelly. Their performances are painfully forced; they're not just repressed, crazy grotesques, they're barely recognizable as members of the human race and Waters stacks the deck too high against them. It became painful to watch them. Overall, I think Waters needs to start over without corporate money and "name" actors. Also, I think his discernment on the quality of his scripts has been faulty. His last few pictures demonstrate that what may be funny on the page doesn't always automatically translate to funny on the screen.
Matt M gave it an 8:
One of the funniest films of the year. Wickedly, raucously entertaining. John Waters at his twisted best.
JB Young gave it a 7:
Starts funny but ends weak. One scene early in the film had my wife and I in tears we laughed so hard. Can't remember the last time I could say that about a film, maybe Serial Mom.
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